A luxury hotel has spoken out about the stay of a convicted fraudster who ran off without paying.

Aimee Ghent avoided punishment at Norwich Magistrates Court on Tuesday after dodging a £450 bill for staying at Park Farm Hotel in Hethersett, despite a long history of previous offences.

They include a two-year prison sentence in 2015 for scamming the company she worked for out of £87,000.

Known then as Amy Brewis, she used a company card to buy £70,000-worth of goods to fund, the prosecution said, “a life of luxury”.

The mother, from Warena Close, Woodbridge, was paid £54,000 a year as a human resource manager for a DIY firm in Essex when she took the money.

She also took £6,000 by creating bogus invoices to fake companies and pocketed another £11,000 by making up two employees and paying their salaries to herself.

The 38-year old has more than 20 convictions, including for fraud, theft and shoplifting.

A spokesman for the hotel said the room Ghent stayed in on August 8 last year was badly damaged by flooding, meaning they had to replace the flooring and not use it for any bookings for nearly a week, costing them thousands of pounds.

They also said they had not received any money from her, despite the court being told on Tuesday that she had paid back £192.

“We spoke to her on many occasions to try to get the money,” a hotel spokesman said. “We were given all sorts of excuses.”

When approached for comment on Wednesday Ghent said she was not charged with causing any damage and added she did respond to the hotel’s court claim for money.

She said she did not wish to comment on previous convictions.

Prosecutor Victoria Bastock told Norwich Magistrates Court that Ghent had booked a room for a one-night stay, which cost around £240. With drinks and food, the final bill came to £452.50.

But staff were not able to get the money from her card on August 9 when she checked out.

She was given a conditional discharge by magistrates after her solicitor told the court she was pressured into booking the hotel by a man and had been subjected to domestic violence.